A recording studio will be set up in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum locality for nurturing young talents and celebrating hip-hop culture.
This is a collaboration between PepsiCo India and The Dharavi Project, a school that offers a platform to discover and showcase talents of hip-hop artists. The upcoming studio will be called ‘PepsiCo Recording Studio’.
The move was formally announced by Simon Fuller-introduced global pop group Now United, currently on a two-week tour in India. Now United comprises 14 talented singers and dancers from across the world, including India, Brazil, Philippines, Finland, Senegal and the United States of America, amongst others.
The Dharavi Project is the group’s first stop on their four-city tour of India.
The goals of The Dharavi Project resonate strongly with PepsiCo India’s aim to give people the chance to create outstanding art, said Tarun Bhagat, the company’s director, marketing, Hydration and Cola.
“We hope the recording studio opens up new opportunities for the students who are a part of the programme,” Bhagat said in a statement.
The Dharavi Project started in 2016.
Samir Bangara, managing director and CEO of Qyuki Digital Pvt Ltd, and Devraj Sanyal, managing director and CEO of Universal Music group – India and South Asia, both trustees of The Dharavi Project, said, “The studio will serve as an enabler to our students to create more music than ever before which in turn will help firmly propagate — via digital and live events — the hip-hop culture of our incredibly diverse and musical country.”